Over the past five years, the value of payments made in Romania with cards issued abroad has tripled, while the number of transactions has increased almost fourfold.
In 2026, Romania attracted higher and more diversified spending from international tourists during the summer season. They made card payments more frequently than last year and spent more on each transaction. Growth was driven both by Romania’s traditional European tourism markets – such as the UK, Germany, Italy and France – and by markets outside this traditional core, including Israel, Turkey and the US. At the same time, neighbouring countries, such as Ukraine, are also becoming increasingly relevant, reflecting growing regional travel flows.
According to an analysis conducted by Global Payments, the world’s largest payment processor, between July and August 2026, the value of transactions made at the company’s terminals in Romania with cards issued abroad, increased by 63% compared to last summer, reaching almost a quarter of a billion RON. The number of transactions also increased by 52%, and the average payment made by foreign tourists reached RON 159, about 7% more than last summer.
“We are also seeing increasing diversification in the countries these tourists come from. The main source markets remain at the top, but some of the strongest growth this year is coming from outside the traditional core of visitors. Payments made in Romania with cards issued in Israel, Turkey or the US increased significantly, in some cases reaching more than three times last year’s level. In fact, at the beginning of this year, we anticipated that Romania could benefit from an additional influx of up to 150,000 tourists, amid the conflict in Iran and the shift towards European destinations perceived as safer,” said Ionela Mitran, Country Manager, Global Payments Romania.
Where do the tourists who spend the most in Romania come from?
According to the latest data from the National Institute of Statistics (INS) on the evolution of tourism in Romania, in July 2026 alone, the number of foreign tourists who visited Romania was more than 53,000 higher than in the same month last year (+20.4%). Global Payments data points to a similar trend, with significant increases in payments compared to last summer (July-August), both among tourists from traditional source markets for Romania and those from outside the traditional European core.
The UK remains the leading source market, with payments exceeding RON 45 million, up 53.5%, followed by Germany, with more than RON 28 million (+60.7%), and Italy, with RON 21.5 million (+51.8%). France recorded the strongest growth among the major Western European markets, at 67.3%.
Ukraine is becoming an increasingly important source market for Romania, moving into the top five countries of origin by payment value, up from 10th place in 2025. It also recorded the most remarkable growth: payment value increased 2.5 times (+150.9%), while the number of transactions rose by almost 80%. Overall, the top five source markets generated 63% higher spending than last year and 51% more
transactions.
The strongest growth comes from markets outside the traditional core of European tourists
According to INS data, since the beginning of the year, Romania has attracted approximately 134,000 more international tourists compared with the same period in 2025 (+9.8%). Significant increases were recorded among visitors from Europe (+9%), but particularly from North America (+23.8%).
This diversification of source markets is also reflected in Global Payments card payment data. In the summer season of 2026, spending with cards issued in Israel was more than three times higher (+211%) than last summer, while payments with cards issued in Turkey increased by 81% and those from the US by 76%. Tourists from Israel spent, on average, RON 234 on each payment, while those from the US spent RON 252. However, the best guests are Irish tourists, who recorded the highest average spend, at RON 331 per transaction.
“Over the past five years, the value of payments made in Romania with cards issued abroad has tripled, while the number of transactions has increased almost fourfold. At the same time, we are seeing increasingly diverse spending behaviours, and merchants need to keep pace with this changing mix of international customers by offering them a simple, fast and familiar payment experience,” said Ionela Mitran, Country Manager, Global Payments Romania.
Tourists’ favorite destinations
Bucharest leads the ranking of destinations where the most was spent by card this summer, with payments exceeding RON 160 million in July–August (+45%). It is followed by Constanța, Timișoara and Brașov, each recording more than RON 44 million in card payments. In Constanța, the value of payments increased by 26%, while the number of transactions rose by 38%. Among Romania’s major cities, Iași stands out with a 38.5% increase in payment value and more than 50% growth in transaction numbers, while Bacău recorded one of the strongest increases in spending, at 46.3%. Timișoara also stands out for its high average spend, at approximately RON 233 per transaction. Similar levels were recorded in Sibiu (RON 232) and Craiova (RON 231), which also rank among the cities with the highest average card payment values.
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